A New Life
by Queen of Shadows
Summary: Sequal to The Truth Comes Out. Takes place two years after that story. Scott and Shelby's life together with a bunch of twists on the way. Please R
1. Final Plans

Shelby woke up in her and Scott's big, empty bed. She wasn't worried about Scott being gone. She knew he was at work. After living with him for two years, she had learned to sleep through his morning process of getting ready.

Shelby had more pressing things on her mind than Scott almost waking her up every morning through. Such as her coming wedding. Having never been married before, neither her nor Scott knew how much trouble a wedding could be. Daisy tried warning her but it did no good. Shelby still needed to finish planning their trip to Horizon, getting her dress, making sure Jena's fit right, getting Scott's clothes and so many other things.

Shelby got out of bed with a sigh and walked directly to the kitchen. She found the coffee right away. She poured herself a cup, added cream and sugar, and had her first caffeine fix of the day. Shelby had gotten a full nine hours of sleep but it felt like she didn't sleep more than two. Once the wedding was over, she would be able to go back to her normal life.

Shelby walked into the living room and put her cup of coffee on a coaster on the table. She had just recently gotten use to using coasters. She never had them before living with Scott, but he insisted on them. Shelby wasn't going to argue. It was his house.

She looked over the table and another sigh left her lips as she saw everything spread across the table. There were papers, cds, folders, fabrics, everything imaginable having to do with a wedding, spread over the table. The closer she came to the wedding, the more and more she was regretting not hiring a wedding planer. But it was took late for that. The wedding was that coming weekend.

Shelby went through her mental checklist again. All the invitation had been sent out. The dresses had been bought. The clothes had been bought. The flowers were done. The music was chosen. The area was easy enough since they were having it at Horizon. Everything she could of was done. But she couldn't help but feel like she was loosing or missing something.

Shelby wanted everything to be perfect. Not for herself, but for Scott. He had always dreamed about the big, beautiful wedding and it was her chance to give it to him. Of course, she wanted her wedding to go off without a hitch for herself too, but it was mostly for Scott. The wedding wasn't huge or crazy like most, but it was perfect for them simply because it was theirs. Neither of them needed or wanted something huge. They just needed it to be theirs.

Jena walked into the living room and found her Mom sitting on the couch. She walked over to the couch and sat down next to her. She scooted especially close to Shelby, which caused her to absent mindedly wrap her arms around the child.

"Mommy, when do I get my dress?" Jena asked.

"Your Dad is picking it up on his way home tonight," Shelby answered with a smile.

"And then I get to wear it?"

"You get to try it on."

"When are we leaving?"

"Tomorrow."

"And then I get to wear it?" Jena asked again, eyes glowing.

"The wedding's not until the day after tomorrow," Shelby replied.

"And then I get to wear it," Jena stated.

"Yes," Shelby said with another smile. "Then you get to wear it."

Jena had only seen a picture of her flower girl dress, but she was already excited to wear it. She loved the idea of wearing the dress. She couldn't help but picture herself as some type of fairy princess in it. She also had seen Shelby dress and knew that her own was more extravagant. Shelby chose something more low-key. Jena was the only one with a dress that poofed and she liked that.

Everything the wedding was more low-key than most. Shelby didn't having a huge dress, and neither did her brides maids. Even the boys didn't have to wear tuxes. They were keeping it as simple as possible. The boys had it the easiest but even the girls had it easy. The only reason Jena got her dress was because Shelby knew she wanted something like that.

Jena grabbed the remote control for the TV and turned it on. She started flipping through the channels to find "A New Hope" on. She stopped the channel surfing at that and began watching the movie. Shelby took note of what Shelby decided to watch and smiled.

"Your Dad has been a bad influence on you," Shelby said with a small shake of her head.

"I like 'em," Jena said with a shrug.

Shelby gave a small shrug and picked up a folder off the table. She scanned through the pages and found what she was looking for quickly. She looked over the piece of paper that had everyone's roles on it. She smiled wear she saw Peter's name. He was the one giving her away.

Shelby remembered her and Scott's little 'disagreement' on that matter. Scott wanted Peter to be his best man, and Shelby wanted him to give her away. Scott eventually caved and let Shelby win on that. After that, they decided they weren't going to have a best man or maid of honor. They were simply going to have brides maids and grooms men.

The smile on Shelby's face grew as she thought back to the day when she asked Peter to give her away.

**Flashback**

_Shelby sat in Peter's office, waiting for him to get back from the latest Cliffhanger group. Normally, he didn't have to go to all of them but there was something special about that group. Usually it meant there was a particular disagreement going on between two of the kids. Shelby remembered well enough what it meant when Peter went to group: someone was in trouble. She smiled as she remembered how often it was that it her who was the one in trouble. _

_After just a few minutes of Shelby sitting on the couch, Peter walked into the office. He had a look of shock on his face for he wasn't expecting Shelby to be there. No one knew she was going except for her, Scott, Jena, Daisy and Sophie. Sophie was the one who helped her arrange that visit. _

"_Shelby, what are you doing here?" Peter asked as she stood up from the couch._

_Peter pulled his former student into a hug, and Shelby smiled at the embrace. When they parted from the hug, they both sat down on the couch. _

"_I actually have a favor to ask of you," Shelby answered._

"_Anything," Peter said._

_Shelby took a deep breath as she thought about how to ask him. She was at a sort of loss of words. She knew she wanted him to give her away, but she hadn't thought about how to ask him. It wasn't that she was worried he would say 'no' but she was slightly nervous about asking him._

"_Okay, as you know, my Father was absent for the majority of my life," Shelby started. "You've been more of a Father to me than anyone else. So, the favor I'm asking for is that you act as my Father for mine and Scott's wedding."_

_Shelby wasn't sure if she was saying it right, but Peter was pretty sure he understood what she was asking of him. _

"_Will you give me away at the wedding?" Shelby asked._

_Peter smiled widely. He would be honored to give Shelby away. He would never say it out loud but that group of Cliffhangers was probably the group he was closest with through his whole duration at Horizon. Peter was also aware of the fact that he was the closest thing to a good Father-figure Shelby ever had in her life._

"_Of course I will," Peter answered. "It would be my honor."_

_Shelby pulled Peter into a hug with a huge smile dancing across her lips. She didn't doubt Peter saying, 'yes' but she was happy to actually hear it come from his mouth. It made it more real for her. With Peter giving her away, she felt like everything with the wedding sort of fell into place. _

"_I've always thought of you as a daughter, Shelby," Peter said during the hug. _

"_And you're the only person I could ever consider as a Dad, Peter," Shelby said, pulling away from the hug. "Ya know, Scott's not happy about this."_

"_Why not?" Peter asked, surprised._

"_He wanted you to be his best man."_

"_Well, I can only be so many things at this wedding."_

_Peter and Shelby shared a small smile at their words. They always had a father-daughter relationship but him giving her away at the wedding made it more real. Before, their relationship was always an unspoken one. After Peter agreed to give her away, it made it more real._

"_I'd be happy to give you away, Shelby," Peter said. "Especially if it's to as good of a guy as Scott."_

"_Yeah, I got lucky," Shelby said with a smirk._

"_I'm happy you two found each other again."_

"_Me too."_

"_Ya know, from the moment you two started dating here, I knew you guys would end up with each other," Peter said and gave Shelby a small pat on the leg. _

"_Thank you, Peter," Shelby said._

"_Like I said, it would be my honor."_

_Peter and Shelby shared another smile before he pulled her into a half hug. They really did have a father-daughter relationship and neither of them would have it any other way._

**End Flashback**

Shelby had a sudden feeling of absolute certainty. She set the folder back down on the table. Grabbing her cup of coffee, she positioned herself more comfortably on the couch. She took a small drink of coffee and started watching "A New Hope" with Jena. Shelby realized that she didn't need to worry about the wedding as much as she was. She was simply going to enjoy a morning with her daughter, watching STAR WARS.

Scott was sitting as his desk across of Anita. He was finishing up his paper work and making sure everything was all ready for him to be going for the next week and half. The captain wasn't going to let him go but once he explain it was for his wedding and honeymoon, he agreed. Of course, Scott had gotten this time off months away, but he couldn't help but feel like his was forgetting to do something.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay?" Scott asked again.

"I'll be fine, Scott," Anita said with a smile. "You've been preparing for this for the last month."

"I know, I know. I've just never left you alone for more than a weekend before."

"Hey, I was promoted before you. I'm the one who's suppose to be worried about taking off."

Scott and Anita gave playful glares to each other but they were followed by smiles so it defeated the purpose of them. Anita was right. She was moved up to detective before Scott, and she was older than him. But they had been partners on everything for almost three years so, naturally, they always felt like they were abandoning the other when they left. If there was one thing they had learned over the years is that a detectives work is never done.

Scott stood up from his desk and grabbed the jacket that went over his suit. It was about time for him to leave. He walked over to Anita and started going over where he had everything, and he made sure she had everything she needed, including his number. He was going over silly things that he would go over with a rookie, despite the fact that Anita was far from being a rookie.

"For the last time, Barringer, I'll be fine," Anita stated.

"Okay, sorry," Scott replied and sort of blushed. "Call me if you need anything."

"I will."

Scott gave Anita a small give on the cheek and she replied with a hug. It was a sexual thing between them though. When they originally broke up, they couldn't really touch each other without feeling strange or like they were betraying their new significant others. But once they had gotten past those few months, they were back to the relationship they had before they ever broke up. They were back to having almost a broker-sister relationship with an addition of friendship. They acted towards each other the way they would act towards a sibling.

"Go," Anita demanded. "Shelby's gonna kill you if you're not home with the dresses soon."

"Very true," Scott said with a smile a turned to leave.

"Oh, and Scott! Try not to cheat on your girlfriend when you're at Horizon this time," Anita teased him with a small wink.

"Don't worry, I won't. I'm going there to marry the girl I cheated with, remember?"

Anita was bitter about Scott cheating on her for a long time. She had gotten over it once she had seen how happy Scott and Shelby were together though. She couldn't blame Scott for following his feelings, and she could see that he belonged with Shelby. Anita was happy that they found each other again. Even if it did mean she couldn't have Scott to herself.

"Have fun," Anita said.

"Thanks," Scott replied.

With those last words between them, Scott turned and walked out of the police station. He was only slightly in a rush. The store he had to go to in order to grab Shelby's and Jena's dresses was closing in half an hour. And Scott knew that Anita wasn't joking with her words. Shelby would kill him if he didn't come home with the dresses.

Scott walked into the house with the two dresses in hand. They were both in garment bags. He looked at Jena's dress when he picked it up but he was instructed that he wasn't aloud to look at Shelby's. She was going for the old fashioned attitude that the groom can't see the brides dress until the wedding. The dress was nothing special but it was still her wedding dress.

Jena rushed over to Scott for she was so excited about trying on her dress. Shelby followed shortly after with a smile. The couple greeted each other with a quick kiss before Scott passed the dresses to his fiancé.

"Did you look at my dress?" Shelby asked almost accusingly.

"No. You told me I wasn't aloud to," Scott answered.

"Good boy."

"I didn't want to be on your shit list for our wedding."

"Daddy, don't say bad words," Jena scolded.

Scott and Shelby both gave soft chuckles at Jena's attitude. She was right though. They shouldn't be saying bad words in front of their seven year old daughter. Jena didn't really mind the bad words since she wasn't going to say them anyway, but she still didn't want to hear them. Jena was too grown up to repeat every word she said, but they were still a bad influence for her.

Jena snatched the dress from her Mother's hands and ran down the hall way, into her bedroom. She started stripping down immediately so she could change into her dress. Jena almost too excited for her own good.

"How about you help her into that while I go try on my dress," Shelby suggested.

"No problem," Scott said.

"And, remember, no peaking."

Scott gave another small laugh as Shelby walked into their bedroom and closed the door behind her.

Shelby took the dress out of the bag and smiled upon seeing it. It was exactly what she wanted for her wedding; simple and classic. She was very pleased with the look. Since the wedding was more low-key and everything was a lot more casual, she didn't want some huge, extravagant dress. She was happy with the shorter, looser, simpler dress.

After trying on her dress, Shelby walked out of the bedroom to find Jena on the coffee table, spinning in circles. Scott was watching her very intently and Shelby couldn't help but laugh at the sight. The dress Jena was wearing was flowing and going wider and wider depending on how fast she turned.

"Look, Mommy, I'm a princess," Jena said, as she spotted Shelby.

"Yes, you are," Shelby said with a nod and a smile. "But you need to get out of your princess dress so we could back it."

Jena pouted in Shelby's direction. She glanced at Scott and gave him the same pout. Scott couldn't say, 'no' to that face. He would never admit it but he was always the one to cave as a parent. Shelby was right though. They needed to finish their packing and Jena's dress was something that needed to be packed.

"Unfortunately, your Mom's right," Scott said with regret.

"Fine," Jena said, obviously upset about the fact.

Scott picked Jena up, off the table. He went to set her down on the ground but she wouldn't let go of him so he proceeded to carry her into her room. Shelby gave him a small smack on the butt as he walked by with a laugh. Scott wasn't phased by it and Jena didn't realize Shelby had done it at all.

Scott unzipped the dress and Jena stepped out of it. She put on pajamas while he put the dress back in the bag.

"Daddy, did I look like a princess?" Jena asked as she sat on her bed.

"You always look like a princess," Scott answered with a smirk.

Jena gave a big smile at her Dad's words. They had grown enormously close over the years they had been together. Neither of them would have it any other way. Scott liked being a Father, and Jena liked having a Father.

"But, now, my little princess, you need to go to bed," Scott said.

Jena jumped into her bed, and Scott tucked her in. He turned on her night light, that she didn't really need anymore, but walked to the door. He flipped the switch, turning off her light, and left her room. He knew she would be asleep with in a matter of minutes so he didn't worry about leaving her.

Scott walked into his and Shelby's bedroom to find two suitcases on the bed. Shelby was finishing up hers and Scott's packing. He knew it was necessary but he was tired and wanted to go to bed. He didn't like the fact that there was a suitcase where his body belonged.

"Shelby, we can finish the packing in the morning," Scott said. "Let's go to bed."

"I want to have everything done tonight," Shelby replied. "Is that so bad?"

"No, it's not bad but we need to go to sleep."

Shelby gave a soft sigh as that familiar feeling came over her again. She kept feeling like she was forgetting something or missing something. She knew it was probably nothing but she wanted everything to be perfect and if she forget something then it wouldn't be perfect. Shelby didn't understand how Scott was so relaxed about the wedding and she was so tense.

Shelby added a few more things to each suit case and closed them. Scott smiled towards her, thinking he had won. But, he didn't win. No one won. There was nothing to win. Shelby would go to bed then but it was only because she was done packing. If she had more to do, then she would finish it.

"Happy now?" Shelby asked, giving Scott the impression that she stopped just for him.

"Very," He said with a nod.

Scott helped Shelby take the suitcases off the bed. Shelby put her on the ground and took a deep breath. She rolled her neck, hoping to release some of the tension but it did no good. She didn't understand why she was so stressed about it. Wedding's were suppose to be happy, not stress-filled. Shows how much she knew.

Scott came up behind Shelby and started to gently massage her shoulders. A soft moan escaped her lips as she felt the tension leave her body. It wasn't because Scott was massaging her though. It was simply because he was touching her. He could have touched her hand and the tension would have left her body. She didn't know why his touch had that effect on her but it did and she loved it.

"Come on, let's go to bed," Scott said.

"Sounds like a plan," Shelby agreed.

Shelby got into the bed while Scott turned the lights off. He slid into the bed and got very close to Shelby. He knew the effect his touch had on her and if touching her would help her sleep, then he would touch her as much as possible. He wrapped one of his arms around her body and pulled her close to him.

A sigh of relief left Shelby's lips at the embrace. She wrapped one of her arms around Scott's waist and rested her head his chest. The skin-to-skin contact helped her. Before she knew it, sleep washed over her like a blanket chasing the cold away. The mix of sleep and Scott made Shelby feel completely content.

Everything was going to be perfect and she didn't need to worry. Some things might go wrong and they might forget something but that didn't matter. As long as they were married by the end of the day, then their wedding was perfect.

* * *

(**A/N**) So, I finally got aorund to writing this chapter. I got it written in two days flat but getting it going was the hard part. Still, here's the first chapter of my sequal to "The Truth Comes Out." I hope I didn't disappoint too many people.

I think the only part of this chapter I'm really happy with is the flashback though. I really wanted the flower girl dress scene between Scott and Jena to be beautiful but it wasn't as great as I hoped it would be. It's something that looks really good on screen but when it comes to writing it out, I just couldn't capture my vision. Hopefully, it's not too horrible though.

Let me know how I did with this, please!


	2. Back to Horizon

Shelby walked out of the house and turned on her heel to make sure Jena was following her, which she was. Jena loved Horizon for some reason. It could be because she knows that's the place that brought her parents together(both times) or it could be simply that she, like Shelby, loved the scenery. It really was a beautiful place and Shelby had done her best to raise Jena to appreciate beauty.

Shelby still had the sinking feeling in her stomach that she was missing something. The suitcases were in the car, Scott was making sure Jena was secure in the back seat, the had everything they needed but Shelby couldn't shake that feeling. She knew they had everything they needed but she kept feeling like there was something in that house that she still needed. She knew deep down that she was delaying leaving by thinking that but she couldn't help it. She hated to admit it, or even think it, but she was nervous about leaving. She knew her nerves would probably calm once in the car, but getting her in the car was the problem.

Scott came up behind Shelby and rested his large hands on her small shoulders. A small smile crept onto her face at the simple embrace. She wanted to fight the smile, but she couldn't. Scott's touch would always make her smile unless they were fighting, and even then, if he wanted to win the fight, all he had to do was touch her. Scott was definitely her weakness and she didn't care who knew it. Scott leaned over one of her shoulder's and gave her a soft kiss on the cheek.

"Stop worrying," he scolded gently. "Everything's going to be okay."

Scott stepped away from Shelby and locked the door of the house. He double checked to make sure it was locked before turning back to the woman still on the porch. He gave her a sweet, yet somehow forceful, look, which caused her to smile at him and get off the porch.

Scott followed behind Shelby and got in the passenger seat quickly. Shelby took a deep breath before finally opening the car door and getting in the drivers seat. She had to move the seat up and adjust the mirrors since Scott was the last one driving the car, but once she did, she buckled her seat belt and started the car. The only thing stopping them from being the street was Shelby's inability to leave.

Shelby glanced at Scott to find him already watching her. The couple shared a look of understanding and complete content. They kept their eyes locked for several, long moments before Shelby finally let a deep breath escape her lips, a breath she didn't even realize she was holding. She had nothing to worry about.

The young woman put the car in reverse in pulled out of the driveway. She started driving down the street and felt somewhat relieved. There was no turning back at that, not anymore. If she were to turn around, that would be it, there would be no wedding. She refused to let that happen. To hell with her own damn feelings.

"Mommy, sing!" Jena exclaimed from the back seat.

"Sweety, do I have to?" Shelby asked with a smile as she glanced at the small child in the back seat through her rearview mirror.

"Please," Jena replied with a pout.

"I'll sing for you, baby," Scott said.

"Scott, you can't sing," Shelby countered.

"I happen to think that I have a wonderful singing voice," Scott replied with a smirk. "What do you want to hear, Jena?"

"Wonderland," The girl answered.

Scott knew the words to the song but delayed singing it. He didn't realize until that moment that he had actually just agreed to sing. Scott couldn't sing to save his life, and he knew it, everyone knew it. He licked his suddenly dry lips and glanced back to his daughter with a nervous expression.

Shelby laughed at Scott's apprehension. She couldn't help it.

"Well, then you sing," Scott said with a challenging tone obvious in his voice.

"_Cats and rabbits would reside in fancy, little house and be dressed in shoes and hats and trousers_," Shelby sang softly while glancing at Jena in the mirror. "_In a world of my own, all the flowers would have very, extra special powers. They would sit and talk to me for hours when I'm lonely in a world of my own. There'd be new birds, lots of nice and friendly howdy-do birds, and everyone would have a dozen blue birds. Within that world of my own, I could listen to a battling book and hear a song that I could understand. I keep wishing it could be that way because my world would be a wonderland_."

Shelby glanced behind her at Jena and saw that her daughter was pleased with the fact that Shelby decided to sing. It wasn't that Shelby had a magnificent singing voice but that she was her mother, that she was willing to sing for her whenever she asked. Jena could be 16-years-old and she would still love hearing Shelby sing that song. Shelby sang her to sleep as a baby with that song and it still works like a charm if she needs it when she's seven.

Scott grabbed Shelby's hand after she returned her eyes to the road and raised it to his mouth. He gave her a gentle, sweet kiss on the top of her hand. It was something that Shelby always appreciated. It was sweet and sincere and very classic. There were some things the young woman was still old fashioned about.

The pair smiled to each other and their eyes locked for a moment before Shelby had to redirect her eyes to the street. They wouldn't be able to get married if they got into a car accident while on the way. It still hadn't fully sunk in to either side of the couple that they were finally, really getting married. They met and fell in love when they were 16-years-old and they're finally getting married when they're 26-years-old. It only took them a decade, but they're finally doing it; they're finally going to be husband and wife.

-----

Shelby pulled into the driveway in front of the administration offices and put the car in park. She was behind what she recognized as Juliet's and Auggie's car with Ezra's in front of theirs.

Shelby's eyes searched the grounds as a flood of memories came back to her. There were good times she had there, real good times. But, then, there were also some very bad times she had there. From where they were parked, she could see the equipment shed, a place she had shared countless nights with Scott. She could also see the gazebo and remembered classes she had there. She saw the woods and remembered quests. The blonde could even see the tips of the docks from where she was. A flood of memories attacked her all at once and she didn't know if she wanted to smile or cry in that moment.

Shelby quickly noticed Scott giving her his full, undivided attention and instantly cast him a questioning look.

"You okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine," Shelby replied. "It's just there's so many memories."

"Oh, you mean like us sneaking out after hours to make out in the equipment shed?" Scott offered with a smile.

"Or when you found me during a storm in the woods, twice."

"All the times you stood me up our first year here because you didn't want to talk about your past."

"When you told me you were leaving."

"And then when I came back and told you that it was because I loved you."

That memory caused a smile to appear on Shelby's face. She remembered that night like it was the day before. It was still vivid as it always would be but she remembered it none-the-less. The mostly remembered how she felt that night. She thought her love for Scott that whole time was unrequited and that night she learned it really wasn't. He loved her too. It was one of the best nights of her life.

"There's a reason we chose to get married here, Shelby," Scott said and kissed Shelby on the forehead in a comforting, loving manner. "We met here. We fell in love here. We found each other again here. We saved each other here. Our lives were here, Shel."

"I know," Shelby conceited and gave Scott a gentle, brief kiss on the lips. "This was our home."

The couple shared a smile as they leaned their heads together.

"Can we get out of the car now?" Jena asked from the back seat, which caused both of her parents to let out soft laughs.

"Back to reality, kids," Ezra said from the drivers side of the car, causing Shelby to jump.

"I'm going to kill you," Shelby exclaimed as she turned off the car.

Shelby got out of the car and instead of killing Ezra like she had threatened, she hugged him. They were never extremely close but they understood each other. They were friends in a way that no one else would be able to understand. As soon as the pair let each other go, Juliet grabbed Shelby and pulled her into a hug as well. They had a true love/hate relationship. They were like sisters. Despite how much they fought, they always loved each other. It was something neither of them could explain. There was a lot of things about Horizon that no one could explain. It just felt right and that was what mattered.

Scott and Shelby both greeted everyone with hugs. Even the guys would do that silly half hug, half hand shake thing they did. The guys would really hug the girls but they didn't really hug each other. They were all too proud and _manly _for it. Before anyone even noticed it, everyone was there, even those who weren't there before Scott and Shelby arrived. The pair had officially said, "hi" to everyone save for Peter.

Shelby's blue eyes tried to find him in the crowd as Sophie held onto her in a suffocating hug, but it was to no avail. She couldn't find him.

"Don't I get a hug, Ms. Merrick?" Peter's voice rang from behind her.

"You can't call her that for much longer," David chided Peter.

"Yeah, yeah," The older man said with an eye roll.

Sophie finally let go of Shelby and the younger blonde turned around and rushed Peter. She pulled him into a hug and he replied quickly and with force. They really did have a father/daughter relationship in a way no one else had. It was another one of those things that just felt right, but one couldn't explain or put into words. There was a reason Peter was the one giving Shelby away at the wedding and the reason was expressed in that hug.

"I can't believe you're getting married," Sophie said, her eyes swelling with joyful tears.

"Yeah, she's actually going to be Mrs. Scott Barringer," Juliet added.

"Oh, my God, you guys," Shelby said with a shake of her head and a laugh. The truth was, she couldn't quite believe it either.

"Awe, someone's blushing," Ezra stated.

"I am not!" Shelby exclaimed just as she felt her cheeks begin to burn with a slight blush.

"It's okay, baby, you're allowed to blush," Scott said from behind Shelby as he pulled her away from Peter and into his own arms.

"Thanks for leaving me in the car, you guys," Jena yelled to her parents with her hands on her hips, imitating her mother almost perfectly. "Jason's the only one who cared enough to let me out!"

Everyone let laughs leave their mouths. They couldn't help it. Scott and Shelby felt like horrible parents in that moment but they were caught up in everyone flowing around them. However, they both knew that Jena wasn't really mad at them, and that she was mostly just teasing them about the fact.

"She was just sitting in the back seat with her arms crossed, looking thoroughly pissed off," Jason explained. "So, I let her out."

"See? _He_ loves me," Jena said.

"Come here, you," Scott said, letting go of Shelby and grabbing Jena as she tried to run away. He lifted her up in his arms and held onto her as she squirmed. "You know I love you."

"If you say so," Jena said with a shrug.

"She really is your daughter, Shel," Auggie stated.

"Shut up, Auggie," Shelby retorted with a playful smack on the arm.

Once again, everyone laughed. Jena was the type of girl who liked being the center of attention though so she didn't mind. It was a trait she inherited from her father. Shelby, though she didn't always mind being in the lime light, liked to stay out of center stage as much as possible. Scott, however, never minded the attention; he basked in it, just like his daughter.

"Okay, how about we get you guys all settled in," Peter suggested. "We have a busy weekend ahead of us."

"You're telling me," Scott commented.

"Okay, well, me and Sophie will show you guys to the cabins you're staying in and then later we can all meet in the lodge to go over everything again. Jess and Katherine should be done releasing the students who are going home for the summer by about 6:30 so how about we meet there at 7:00."

No one said anything. Everyone simply nodded.

"My God, now that you guys are actually allowed to argue, you keep your mouths shut," Peter commented with a shake of his head. "You guys fought me more when you were students."

Everyone let soft chuckled escape their mouths. They all fought when they were still students. But they weren't students anymore, they weren't kids. They were adults, and they needed to act like it. Peter and Sophie would always think of them as kids, their kids, even though they were very much grown ups. Some things never change and they're all okay with that.

-----

The group sat in random chairs and on the couch in the lodge, making final calls for the wedding. They wanted to be very clear on where everything would be, what everyone would be wearing, what they would be doing with the students who weren't going home for the summer, and anything else they could think of. The only person who didn't seem phased by any of it was Juliet and that was only because compared to her wedding, this was child's play.

Shelby opened her mouth and a yawn escaped it without her consent. She was exhausted. Jena and Scott got to sleep on the drive over where as Shelby was stuck driving the whole time. Scott was right the night before, they should have slept instead of Shelby freaking out about forgetting something.

"Baby, if you're tired, go to bed," Scott said and patted Shelby gently on the knee.

"No, I'm good," Shelby replied, lying through her teeth.

"Shelby, you need your rest," Sophie stated.

"Hey, I'm not a student anymore. I'll go to sleep when I want to."

Everyone gave Shelby a determined, yet skeptical look. She was tired and they could all see it. She was simply too stubborn to listen to them. She was being her typical self, actually.

"Come on, Shel, I'll walk you there," Daisy said, standing up. "And then I'm going to bed myself."

"I'll take care of Jena and I'll make sure we're quiet when we come in," Scott informed her. "Go to sleep."

Shelby glanced around at everything one more time and finally surrendered saying, "Fine."

Shelby gave Scott and brief kiss on the lips as Daisy did the same to Jason. The girls turned and walked out of the lodge with a lazy, tired wave to everyone else. Little did everyone know that Daisy was in dire need to talk to her best friend. Even if she was so tired she could barely form words, she was going to get this out; she had to.

-----

The two girls walked into Scott and Shelby's cabin. It was the same cabin Scott had when they were there last time. Shelby had a flood of memories come back to her the first time she walked into the cabin that day but this time she could walk in with nothing but her bed on her mind. She was simply too tired to think about anything but sleep.

"Thanks, Dais," Shelby said with a yawn. "I can take it from here."

Daisy paused. She didn't say anything, or do anything for several, long, quiet moments. Shelby picked up on it and gave her friend a questioning expression but Daisy didn't respond in any way. The young woman did everything in her power to keep herself from looking at her best friend but she quickly realized that her attempts were futile so she gave up.

"Actually, I need to talk to you," Daisy said hesitantly.

Shelby knew that tone, it was a tone she had in her own voice many times before, but it was also one she never expected to here from Daisy. She instantly knew something was wrong, or if not wrong at least different, out of the ordinary. The pajama pants she held in her hands were quickly thrown to the top of the bed as she sat her small frame at the foot of it.

"What's up?" Shelby asked, sleep suddenly being the last thing on her mind.

Daisy's dark eyes glanced at the spot on the bed next to Shelby but she couldn't will herself to sit down. She needed to be walking, moving, doing something to keep her mind off of what she was about to say. It was nothing bad, hell, most people saw it as a blessing, but it was something Daisy thought she would never hear herself say. It was something she never saw in her future. Then, she had to settle down, and became a part of her present.

Daisy took a deep breath, closed her eyes and finally said, "I'm pregnant."

It was as if time suddenly stopped as Shelby absorbed what she had just heard Daisy say. Daisy, pregnant? It was something the blonde could barely fathom. Daisy didn't want kids, she was very adamant about the fact for a very long time. Shelby was thrown for a loop with how to respond. She was at a loss for words, which didn't happen to her often. Everything else was gone from her mind in that moment as she realized that Daisy was going to be a Mother.

"What?" Shelby asked slowly, trying to make sure she heard it right for she truly couldn't believe it, let alone comprehend the fact.

"You heard it right," Daisy said and finally took that seat next to Shelby on the bed. "I'm with child."

"Daisy, you're pregnant."

"Well, thank you, captain obvious."

"How can you be pregnant?" Daisy gave her a look that clearly said, 'please don't tell me you're that stupid.' Shelby shook her head and continued, "I mean, weren't you using some kind of protection."

"I was on the pill. But when we came back from our Honeymoon, I just stopped taking them," Daisy explained. "Two months later, bam, I got a bun in the oven."

"Oh, my fucking God."

Daisy let a scoff leave her mouth. It wasn't that she didn't want a child, she did, but it was something she never saw for herself. She swore to herself a long time ago that she would never reproduce for the good of mankind, and Jason was okay with that. That didn't stop him from having his whole, 'I'm going to be a Dad' moment when she told him she was expecting though.

"Does anyone else know?" Shelby asked.

"Only Jason," Daisy answered. "And he's fucking thrilled."

"So, you want me to stay quiet," Shelby said, making it a statement, not a question.

"At least for now. You can tell Scott since I know you can't lie to him to save your life at this point but make sure he keeps his big mouth shut."

Shelby nodded. "Got it."

Daisy was very quiet for several minutes. The only sound in that room was their breathing and the quiet whistling of the wind outside. The young woman didn't know what she was going to do. Was she ready to be a Mother? Would she ever be ready to be a Mother? Daisy didn't know. She felt completely lost, and she didn't like it, at all. It wasn't like her to feel this helpless. It was a foreign feeling to her. And it was a feeling she did not want to get used to.

"You'll be fine," Shelby said, as if reading her friends thoughts.

"How do you know that?" Daisy asked. "I mean, I'm responsible for another life now."

"Hey, you raised me, didn't you?" Shelby asked with a smile.

Daisy gave Shelby a skeptical look but it was clear that Shelby truly thought Daisy more or less raised her. Daisy played a key role in how Shelby turned out and how she chose to raise her own daughter. Shelby had the utmost faith that Daisy would be a wonderful Mother. She just needed Daisy to believe that as well.

Daisy heaved a deep sigh. She felt as if she finally got something off her chest, a weight that felt was carrying her down. It wasn't telling Shelby that made the weight go away, at least not really. It was the fact that Shelby truly thought she would be able to do this. Maybe she couldn't ruin this child's life after all.

"Think about it. You raised me and you helped me raise Jena," Shelby stated, making it a pure fact instead of speculation. "This kid's lucky to have you as a mom."

Daisy smiled. She suddenly felt okay with the situation, even happy about it. She simply needed her best friend to point out to her that she could handle it after all. It was an age old trick they had learned at Horizon. A person can over come anything if they have the proper support and believe that they can. Daisy had the right support. She had her husband and her friends; she had her family.

"Thanks, Shel," Daisy said softly.

"Hey, what are friends for?" The blonde asked.

The pair shared a smile as Daisy felt all the tension leave her body. She could get through this.

* * *

(**A/N**)-First off, thank you for the reviews from: **Linkie**, **ac5000**, **Ashley**, and **Gohstwriter**. I'm happy you're all enjoying this story. Thanks for all the support!

I know I said I wasn't going to be updating this yet but this chapter was very easy to write. I gave up on my Firefly fic for right now and moved back to Higher Ground, full time. I don't know what you guys are getting next, it will be whatever comes easiest to me so I can get it up quickly.

Please review and let me know how I did!


	3. Worries

Shelby woke up in her and Scott's big, empty bed

Shelby's eyes flooded open but re-closed almost instantly as the sun hit her face. She reopened them slowly and as her eyes adjusted to the brightness of day, she found the bed empty. Scott was already awake. Where he was, she didn't know but she knew he was already awake and completely active for if he wasn't, he would still be in bed with her. But there was no form lying next to her.

After several moments of pondering where her soon-to-be husband was, Shelby heard noise coming from the bathroom. She turned over towards the door just in time to see Scott emerge in nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist. Despite the fact that she had just woken up and sex was the furthest thing from her mind in that moment, she smiled at the site.

"You're up early," she said, her voice still groggy from sleep.

"Not overly," Scott replied. "I just let you sleep because of how tired you seemed, even if you did go to sleep two hours before me."

"Actually, I didn't."

Shelby sat up in the bed with the blanket still wrapped around her lower body. She had yet to tell Scott about the news she had heard from Daisy the night before, the thing that had kept her awake. It wasn't that she was worried and scared for Daisy or anything of the sort. But she knew how nervous Daisy was about the situation. She had never imagined herself having a child.

"Why not?" Scott asked, curiosity over taking him. "You and Daisy end up talking or something?"

"Yeah," Shelby answered shortly.

"Well, it must have been important 'cause you were exhausted. What's up?"

Shelby tried to think about how to phrase what she had to say but came up with nothing and ended up saying, "Daisy's pregnant."

Scott stopped in mid-step and turned to the woman sitting on the bed. "What?"

"You heard me. The little miss I-never-want-kids is preggers."

Scott almost laughed at Shelby's wording. He sat down on the end of the bed and thought about what he had just been told. Daisy was pregnant. It caught him off guard, just as it had caught Shelby off guard. Daisy never wanted kids; she was very adamant about that. Yet there she was, pregnant. The rebellious goth girl they all knew was the one happily married and expecting her first child.

"Wow!" he couldn't stop himself from saying.

"I know," Shelby agreed. "But at least she's married and settled. She and Jason are actually pretty happy about it, even if she is nervous as hell."

"Yeah, at least they tied the knot before she got knocked up," Scott joked but Shelby didn't find it amusing. It actually took all her strength not to frown and Scott noticed the small struggle. "Hey, I was kidding."

"I know. It's just…she's not making the same mistake I did. I'm happy for her."

"You made a mistake taking off, yes, but I don't think _we_ made a mistake in you getting pregnant. Yeah, we were young and we weren't married but we loved each other. We would have dealt with it together like a married couple if you hadn't left."

"Yeah, but I did leave."

Scott knew how guilty Shelby felt about her leaving, even to that day. He understood it. But he was over the fact that she had abandoned him. All that mattered to him in that moment was that she was back and they were going to be getting married. They were finally going to be a normal family with their daughter and he loved that fact.

"Hey, don't worry about it," Scott said, maneuvering himself so that Shelby was in his arms. "We're together now. We're getting married and soon I'm going to be able to say you're my wife. That's all that matters now."

Shelby gave a smile to Scott even though she knew he couldn't completely see her face. But behind that smile was a nervous expression. She didn't know why or when it had happened but she suddenly felt apprehensive about the wedding. She loved Scott, with all her heart and she wanted to be his wife just as she wanted him to be her husband. But that didn't change the fact that she was nervous.

Tension washed over the young blonde in waves and she couldn't fight it. She didn't know what it was but the closer and closer they got to wedding, the jumpier Shelby got, and not in a good way. Brides are supposed to be happy and excited about their wedding but Shelby was simply overcome with worry. She couldn't explain it; she didn't know why, but she knew she was dreading the wedding on some level. What that level was, she didn't know and that was nagging her in the back of her head.

Scott quickly noticed Shelby's tension and pulled away gently from the hug. He moved himself enough on the bed so that he could see the woman dead on. He looked her in the eyes and instantly saw something else behind those blue eyes of hers. He didn't know what it was but he knew something was out of the ordinary.

"What's wrong?" he asked gently.

"Nothing," Shelby lied but pulled it off credibly.

"You're lying. Tell me."

"I'm fine, Scott. I promise."

"I know you're not fine, Shelby."

"I'm fine, Scott," Shelby persisted, that time more sternly, quickly putting on her mask to hide the truth.

"Alright," Scott said with a sigh. He knew she was lying but he also knew there was no way for him to get her to talk about it before she was ready. He knew her too well to push too much.

* * *

Scott walked back into the bathroom and, while closing the door, allowed a deep sigh to leave his lips. He didn't know what was bothering Shelby and he didn't like it. There was something stressing out his soon-to-be wife, something serious, something out of his control, something he couldn't figure out.

There was no one who knew Shelby better than Scott, not even Daisy, she came close but they were still tied. The issue with "knowing" Shelby was that she had a damn near unreadable mask. When she wanted to, she could be feeling one thing, but be showing a different emotion entirely. Scott had grown very good at reading her mask(which was how he knew something was wrong) but he still wasn't good enough to pin point what it was.

He sensed her tension, caught her apprehension, knew they were there. It was the why that was nagging at the back of his head. The only thing he could possibly think of was the wedding and he really didn't want to believe that that was the thing making the woman he loved apprehensive.

Suddenly, memories appeared in Scott's head. He remembered the last time Shelby appeared this stressed or nervous about something. He remembered the last time he could tell something was bothering her and she insisted that she was fine. He remembered coming home one night to an empty apartment, with no Shelby to be found. Scott couldn't handle being left like that again. It wasn't that he thought she was going to take off again so much as it was that he felt helpless to do anything about how Shelby was feeling in that moment.

Still, Scott soon began to worry about what was going to happen. He knew he wanted to marry Shelby, it was all he thought about for years. She was the one for him, the one who made him whole and who could make him ache for her touch. He needed her in his life. He wanted this. But he didn't know what was on Shelby's mind and it caused him to worry, caused him to almost be afraid; not of the wedding, but of losing her again.

* * *

Shelby sat on the bed, wondering about and replaying the very short conversation she had with Scott. The words weren't really what was going through her head as much as it was the emotions, the tension and worry that flowed through her entire being. She didn't know what was wrong with her or why she was feeling the way she was about the upcoming ceremony but she didn't like it.

She loved Scott, with all her heart. He was a wonderful, sweet man who cared about her immensely. He was everything a woman could possibly want in a husband. He was always there for her, loved her, respected her and forgave her for more than she thought she deserved. He was too good for her, in her mind.

That was when it hit her. That was what had been bothering her. Scott was too good for her. She knew he loved her, despite her faults, but she wasn't seeing things from his view point in that moment. She could only see things from her mind set and in her mind, Scott was too good for her. However, if that were the case, then too many things weren't adding up properly.

Shelby needed to talk to someone, anyone. No, not anyone. She needed someone who knew both her and Scott well enough to play mediator between the two of them since she knew talking to Scott himself was completely out of the question. There was only one person who came to her mind: Peter. She needed to talk to Peter, desperately. She knew that he, like Scott, would probably think she was crazy for thinking such thoughts but she also knew that he understood her well enough to be able to work through why she thought that way. Yes, she needed Peter and needed him badly for this.

* * *

Peter paced through his office with several papers in his hands. He had no problem allowing Scott and Shelby to have the wedding at Horizon, especially since it was during summer break, but he didn't take into consideration the kids that couldn't, or wouldn't, go home that break. He didn't think the pair would mind the few extra guests but he had to be sure.

Looking through a few of the newer students files, he stopped his pacing and leaned on his desk. With a pen still in his mouth, he mumbled a quiet reminder to himself to talk to Scott and/or Shelby about the extra people.

A quiet knock on his door took Peter out of his thought. "Come in," he mumbled, pen still in his mouth.

Shelby peeked her head through the door before walking all the way into the all too familiar office. Upon seeing Peter, some of the tension almost instantly left her body. A small smile appeared on her face at the loss of some tightness in her shoulders, neck and back. It was strange to her that seeing Peter would help that much but, deep down, she knew it would. It was why she was there.

"Shelby, just the person I needed to see," Peter said with a smile. "I was just going over some paper work and realized I have 14 students still here for the summer break. Would you and Scott be okay if they were here for the wedding?"

"Don't really have a choice, do we?" she asked back with a smile, but it was a forced one. "Yeah, it's fine. I, of all people, understand not wanting to home. And I'm sure Scott will be okay with it too."

Peter soon noticed that the smile Shelby gave wasn't a genuine one. Scanning over the woman quickly, he asked, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Shelby answered quickly, too quickly.

"You're lying to me."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are."

"What makes you think something's wrong?"

"Well, for one, because you're in my office at your own will."

"I'm not a student anymore, Peter. Your office is no longer a worrisome place."

"And because I know you," Peter stated, knowing full well that Shelby had her mask on hard core in that moment; she was hiding something. "Talk to me, Shel."

A sigh left Shelby's mouth. She sometimes hated just how well Peter knew her. But that was why she was there, was it not? She needed someone who knew and understood her; someone who could help her. She needed Peter, pain and simple. And, as much as she hated admitting it, she needed to stop avoiding everything and just talk to him already.

"It's Scott," Shelby said and off a look from Peter continued. "He hadn't done anything wrong but, for some reason, I'm scared of marrying him right now."

"Well, all brides get nervous before their weddings," Peter said, attempting to be comforting.

"I think it's more than just regular cold feet though."

"What do you mean?"

"Call me crazy, but I'm afraid I'm not enough for him."

"Shelby?"

"Yeah?"

"You're crazy."

Peter couldn't understand what could possibly make Shelby think that way. He knew that deep down she was always slightly insecure but she hasn't felt insecure about Scott in a long time, not since they've been back together and especially not since they've been engaged. He didn't know how just yet, but he knew he had to think of a way to convince Shelby what everyone in their heart knew.

"Shelby, all I mean is that you don't need to be thinking that," Peter stated. "You're more than enough for anyone. And even if you weren't, which I'm not saying you are, that doesn't matter. Scott chose you. He wants to be with you."

"I know that, Peter. But what if he only chose me for Jena?" Shelby asked, for that was another thing picking at the back of her head; Scott chose her by default because she had his child.

"He chose you before you two ever had Jena."

"Yeah, back when we were here. What if he never came to Horizon? We never would have known each other and even if we did, we wouldn't have been interested in each other."

"Stop thinking about the what-ifs, Shelby. You can't think about the past. All you have is now, and how things did happen. You can't allow yourself to worry about how things could have happened."

"I know all that, Peter, but I can't force myself to believe it."

"Well, no one could ever force you to believe anything," Peter replied with a small grin.

"Oh, yeah, you guys could," Shelby replied and then gave a small laugh. "In group, you guys could."

It was then that it hit Peter. He realized with what Shelby had just said what he had to do to make Shelby see the truth of the situation instead of her own doubts. He needed to hold a group meeting, with all the old Cliffhangers, all of them. He could arrange it easily enough for they were all there. That could be exactly what Shelby needed; to be taken back to when Scott initially fell for her; to be reminded that her family(especially Scott) chose her.

"Well, group is another thing entirely," Peter said with a small smile, never showing on his face what he had thought up.

"It was strange though. You guys always had a way of making me realize something I already knew," Shelby said.

"That's group for you, and it hasn't changed any."

The pair gave small, quiet laughs at what had just been said but the laughter was soon interrupted by a knock on the door. They both silenced themselves, yet kept the smiles on their faces. Peter told whoever it was they could come in and Scott peeked his head through the door in search of Peter but his eyes found Shelby first.

"Shelby," Scott said strangely.

"Scott, I just had to go over some things with Peter about the wedding and he had to ask me about the kids that are going to be here for it," Shelby said, utterly lying to her soon-to-be husband.

"Oh."

"Yeah, but I'm going to go now. I still have to talk to Daisy," Shelby continued the lies, unable to stop herself. She felt bad but she couldn't control it.

Shelby offered a smile to Peter and gave Scott a quick kiss on the cheek before walking out the door and closing it behind her.

Once Shelby was out of the room, the two men brought their attention to each other. Neither needed to say anything out loud in that moment. Peter questioned with his eyes and Scott gave a clear enough answer with the expression written across his face. Shelby was the reason he was there, plain and simple and that meant that Scott knew something was going on with his fiancé.

"Don't worry about it, man," Peter said. "I'm already on it."

"So she told you what was bothering her," Scott assumed. "Well, what is it?"

"That's for her to tell you."

"But she's not telling me."

"I know, but she told me and that's the first step."

"Well are you going to let me know anything?"

"It's not really my place, Scott."

"Peter…"

"Don't worry. I'm handling it," Peter replied calmly.

Scott sighed, overcome with worry. He understood Peter not telling him but he hated not knowing what it was that was bothering Shelby. It caused him to stress. He was afraid history was going to repeat itself and he wouldn't be able to handle that, not again.

"Just tell me one thing. Do you think she's going to take off again?" Scott asked, distress clear in his tone.

"You're worried about that?" Peter asked as if the thought was ludicrous. "Scott, it's okay. You don't have to worry. Everything will be worked out soon enough."

The wheels in Peter's head were already turning, and he was already planning the group meeting between all the old Cliffhangers. He didn't only have to deal with Shelby's insecurity but he also had to deal with Scott's worries now. He definitely needed the Cliffhangers for this one. Group was exactly what they needed.

"How do you know?" Scott asked, skeptically.

"I'll tell you what, man. Meet me in the lodge at 7:00 tonight and I'll prove it to," Peter replied, confident that his plan would work.

Scott gave a skeptical look but nodded and agreed to what Peter asked for anyway. He would do it even if he didn't understand why or how it might have helped. Scott trusted Peter with anything and everything; he had to trust him now too.

"Alright," Scott said and walked out the door, leaving Peter be.

A quiet sigh left Peter's lips as he suddenly realized how much he had ahead of him. He not only had to plan a group meeting but he had t somehow ensure that it would in fact help the pair. The man couldn't help but think he had just gotten himself into a very sticky situation.

* * *

All of the older Cliffhangers walked into the lodge and were quickly overcome with a strong feeling of deja-vu. There were several chairs arranged in a circle in the center of the large room with Peter standing amongst the many chairs. Everyone cast confused looks to the man among the chairs and to each other as they walked further into the room.

"Alright everyone, take a seat," Peter ordered.

"What's this?" Auggie asked.

"You guys know what this is, it's group. Now, everyone take a seat and I will tell you what the theme of tonight is."

"We're not students anymore," David said.

"I know you're not," Peter replied." But some of you do need to work through some problems just like when you were students so, sit down."

Peters eyes narrowed in on Shelby while speaking before they flickered to Scott. There wasn't a doubt in either of their minds that Peter was addressing them. Shelby didn't like the idea of being ambushed in group but Scott just hoped Peter knew what the hell he was doing.

Everyone took a seat and Scott and Shelby, despite their unexpressed issues to each other, sat next to each other. Everyone's eyes stayed on Peter as they sat, waiting for him to make his next move; waiting for him to tell everyone what is grand plan was and what it was for.

"Okay so I said I would give you guys a theme and tonight's theme is worries," Peter stated. "I want you all to think of something that's worrying you, something serious, and express it to the group so we can help you guys work through those worries."

A sigh left Shelby's mouth the instant Peter was done talking. She knew she went to him for a reason and that was to work through her worries but did he have to involve the entire group? Did he have to involve Scott? Then it hit her. She had brought this on herself. She was the one to bring up group, and she should have seen the light bulb go off in Peter's head. The woman could do nothing but scowl at him though.

"How about one of the soon-to-be newlyweds start us off," Peter suggested, casting his eyes to the pair. "Scott? Shelby?"

Scott and Shelby looked to each other to see who was going to speak first and Shelby wore a very clear _don't look at me_ expression. She so did not want to talk about her worries in that moment.

Scott looked nervous as he quickly realized that he was going to be the one to talk first. He knew very well what his worries were, as did Peter, but no one else did, especially Shelby. He wasn't quite sure he was ready to talk about those worries so openly with Shelby sitting right there, next to him. He knew, in the back of his head, that talking about them would help and probably put his worries to rest but he was finding it increasingly difficult to do.

A sigh left Scott's mouth and Peter knew that that meant Scott was struggling to get it out so he said, "Just say it, man."

"I'm worried Shelby's going to take off again," Scott finally said after a few more moments of silence.

Shelby felt like she had just been slapped in the face. She wanted to tell Scott he was crazy for thinking such a thing but she couldn't. It wasn't because she didn't believe it either. It was as if she had no voice. Shelby was dumbfounded by what her fiancé had just said. She couldn't speak. She couldn't even properly form thoughts. But she knew that the thought of leaving never crossed her mind.

"Scott," Shelby started but couldn't find the words. He wasn't looking at her and that hurt. She touched him leg and he cast his blue eyes to her, but they looked colder, darker than his normal baby blues. "Scott, I'm not going anywhere."

Scott kept his eyes on her, scanning her carefully. "Then, what's going on with you?"

"I'm afraid," she answered.

"Afraid again," he retorted and scoffed.

"Scott, let me try and get this out without you snapping at me."

"What are you afraid of?"

Shelby took in a deep breath and thought about how to form the words. Saying it to Peter was one thing, saying it to Scott was a different thing entirely. It was as if everyone else in the room drifted away though. Shelby forgot they were in 'group' and forgot there were other people around. There was just her and Scott there, in her mind.

"I'm afraid I'm not enough for you," Shelby answered.

"Why would you think that?" Scott asked.

"Think about it, Scott. If I didn't have Jena, would you have taken me back? You got stuck with me 'cause I had your daughter."

It was Scott's turn to feel like he got slapped. It didn't understand it but he knew in that moment that Shelby really did feel that she wasn't good enough for him and that he was only with her because of Jena. He thought she was crazy for thinking such things. After all, he chose her long before they ever had Jena together.

"Shelby, Jena is not why I'm with you," Scott said. "Jena is not the reason I want to marry you tomorrow. She's not the reason I want you. I chose you before Jena was even a factor."

"But," Shelby started with a shake of her head.

"No buts, Shel." Scott forced Shelby to look at him by putting her chin between his thumb and forefinger. "I chose you. I want you, all of you. I don't want to hear about you not being enough for me, alright?"

Shelby finally looked up to Scott a found his eyes as soft as they ever got. His face was so sincere that she almost wanted to fall into his arms and cry right then and there, but she didn't. She resisted the strong urge to cry but she couldn't find her voice so she nodded to his words.

"I love you," Scott said.

"I love you too," Shelby replied.

Scott pulled Shelby into a kiss and she replied without argument. It was a soft, gentle, loving kiss with nothing else behind it but that moment and them together. They both felt suddenly secure about the wedding the next day. They wanted nothing more than to be husband and wife, they wanted nothing more for a while, and they were finally getting it.

"Awe, isn't that cute?" David asked, bringing Scott and Shelby back from their own little world and reminding them that they were still in group.

The pair blushed and smiled while Shelby also cast David a playful glare.

Scott and Shelby relaxed into each others arms and they knew all eyes were on them but they couldn't bring themselves to care about it. Everyone in that room knew everything about them so it made no real difference to them whether they knew this too or not. Whether everyone knew it or not, they helped the pair get to where they were.

Shelby found Peter still standing in the middle of the room and gave him a smile as she mouthed 'thank you' to him. All he could do was nod in response. He did what he needed to do and it worked. It just went to show that no matter how old anyone got, they all still needed a little guidance from time to time, and Peter would always be there to give it.

* * *

(**A/N**)-First off, thank you for the reviews from: **Linkie**, **ac5000**, **Sakura999**, **DracoxHermioneztrueluv4eva**, **Ashley**, and **Gohstwriter**. I'm happy you're all enjoying this story. Thanks for all the support!

I know I said a lot quicker than I did but I had such a hard time with the group scene. I had to walk away and let it work out in my head before I could put it to paper. It was difficult. I'm soo sorry this took so long.

Please review, good or bad!


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